The Rise Of Classic Monster Toys - TOY HISTORY #16

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: What started out as a couple books turned into some of the most iconic movie characters ever made popular by Hollywood. Vampires, mummies, and other monsters have been taken over the world with their dark nature and horrific attraction. Over the last hundred years, they've gained more followers with every popularity wave. And with National Monster Day Halloween around the corner, it's about time we take a look at some toy lines that feature the classic monsters through the years. Hope you're ready for a monster mash. Be sure to subscribe to the channel. Today, we're gonna take a look at the rise of classic monster toys. So get comfy in your coffin and let's drop in for some toy history. From the 20s to the 50s, Universal Pictures turned the classic horror stories into films. During these decades, we would see every part of the first ever shared universe in Hollywood. From the depths of the Black Lagoon to the hills of Transylvania, Mad Professor Frankenstein's laboratories, and the tomb-braided mummies of Egypt, we've all seen at least glimpses of these classic films. Long Chaney Jr. and his bag of makeup effects kicked it all off during the silent era. With Phantom of the Opera in 1925, the other monsters were often portrayed by Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, who often took on several leading roles in these different movies as monsters got featured in each other's stories, even crossing over a comedy. 1948's Abbott and Costello, meet Frankenstein, ended the initial cycle of the classic horror movies. But Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy, Frankenstein's monster, and the creature from the Black Lagoon, would forever go down in history as the foundations for any horror movie, and would soon rise again. As the spawn of movies being produced came to an end, they were still found in theaters, just repackaged as double feature matinees. Gaining popularity with the youngsters, Universal took their monsters to the TV to be featured as syndicated packages. Horror hosts like Vampyra were added to the programming to connect with the kids that just couldn't get enough. And the same thing would happen in later decades with Elvira and the Crypt Keeper. During this new popularity, a magazine rose up called Famous Monsters that would feed the addiction of the kids on a monthly basis, giving even more insights on these wonderful beasts and highlighting new ones. As a kid back then, sure you could get your hands on some deliciously, frighteningly drawn EC comics, but toys just weren't around. Even though these characters clearly had some great toyetic properties, it still wasn't socially accepted to create toys based on monsters. Luckily, there was still Hammer films in England that kept pushing out new Dracula and Frankenstein movies when Universal stopped. Then the 60s rolled around the corner, and thanks to the popularity of Famous Monsters, the Aurora Plastics Corporation was the first to start making model kits of the classic monsters. At the time, it was a risky and controversial move for the company, so they decided to consult with some psychologists to ensure that it wouldn't really frighten the kids, but it would actually help kids deal with their fears. Welcoming you into the nightmare was the first Aurora monster model in 1961, an assembly kit of Frankenstein, which was quickly the hottest thing on the shelves. It was a race to keep up with the demand. They even had to keep the factory open 24/7 and create extra molds to accommodate the first monster craze. There was also a 19-inch tall Big Frankie that even had articulation in both arms. The sculpt and attention to detail is pure perfection. From the bolts in his neck to the chain attached to a piece of wall that he tore out during his escape, there are scars and stitches, this is one hell of a magnificent toy. Aurora also added 12 other monsters to the 12-inch line that would be reissued in various versions through the next decades. These monster models are still collectible to this day, and yes, condition is always an issue when it comes to value. If you still have the box for these that feature the amazing artwork by James Bama, you can consider yourself lucky if you had it carefully stowed away in your toy dungeon. The Aurora models were assembly kits made of plastic. First you would put them together and later paint them yourselves, just like the model cars and airplanes they were already known for. For six years, Aurora kept going with the first run of the monster models, and the generation that was buying them even got the name Monster Kids. They kept howling at the moon for more monster merchandise, everything from PEZ dispensers, water guns, dom post masks, to wobbly heads was thrown at them in a tidal wave of bolts, folds, and vampire teeth plastic. Another company called Lewis Marks Corporation was creating 10 toys at the time, and jumped on the craze adding something new into the mix. With remote control monsters, you could finally say, "It's alive!" These are some of the most impressive battery operated toys ever made, like the Great Garlu, Mighty Kong, or the Yeti. Apart from walking around, they could perform other features, like picking up an object, or Kong beating his chest, just like he did in the movie. They also created a mix of solid plastic figures, mainly made available in blue and orange plastic. You would get all of these monsters in a baggie, simply labeled "Cinema Creatures." In 1964, Polymer Plastics produced eight different three-inch toys, including the classic monsters, but also featuring Gorgo, It, the Terror from Beyond Space, and Harryhausen's Cyclops, from the seventh voyage of Sinbad. The monster universe was expanding with new creatures, and these polymer plastics could easily play along with your toy soldiers, cowboys, and Indians. During the 70s, famous monsters magazine was still going strong, and the monsters even got some more buddies to play with from sci-fi movies with big insects, and even Disney threw some spine-chilling creatures into the mix with Pirates of the Caribbean. Mego was king at the time on the toy market, creating toys for all the comic book heroes, TV actors, and our celebrities, so it didn't take too long for our classic monsters to get their own eight-inch interpretation by Mego. These were considered to be the first real monster action figures created. The Aurora models were great, but they were just models. Kids in the 70s just wanted something more out of their toy, and they wanted more articulation, and got it in the Mad Monster series, which was an unlicensed set, but it didn't matter too much. As many of the characters were 19th and early 20th century literary creations, they existed in the public domain, and the company didn't need permission from Universal. However, they had to make sure the figures didn't resemble the iconic monsters or actress seen in the films, and so you got some less familiar interpretations of the Horrible Mummy, Dreadful Dracula, Monster Frankenstein, and the Human Wolfman. Not only did they come with the articulation needed, but in the dark, you could see their eyes and hands glow up. AHI or Azrak Hanway Inc. did get all of the monsters licensed by Universal, except for Dracula. Their line called "World Famous Super Monsters" featured some serious-looking monster heads that resembled the sculpts of the classic Aurora models. Then again, they were cheap-looking compared to Mego standards, and they were very inconsistent in the way they were produced, leading into massive color variations of the same toy. If you were on a budget, you could still get your fix with Lincoln's International Monsters. Sticking to the 8-inch line of what's popular at the time, you could find these in gift shops and catalogs. So you could have your own fully-jointed monster! Aurora Plastics relaunched their monster models during the 70s and threw some glow-in-the-dark into the mix as well. It seems like monster toys would forever be connected with the glow-in-the-dark gimmick. Other toy manufacturers started creating toys for horror fans, like Gregori by Mattel, that featured a blood flow gimmick when you pressed the pump on its back. This bat was cool, but it was space-flying and lasers the kids were getting into. In 1977, as Star Wars took over almost everything, even Famous Monsters magazine began to feature Yoda, Superman, and other pop culture on the cover, instead of sticking to our classics. We had dropped into the Star Wars kids' generation. The 80s started off strong with one of the coolest toy lines ever made by Remco, with its 9-inch Universal Monsters. Remco is actually the subsidiary name of AHI from the previous decade, now gave the toys more action-oriented features, like the now-standard glow-in-the-dark heads, and adding crushing monster-grip arms. There was even a playset to energize your monsters, the perfect accessory for the Remco Monsters, in which you could control the flashing lights and eerie sounds as they powerize the monsters' glow-in-the-dark features. They also shrunk down the toy line in the Remco mini-monsters set to three and a quarter-inch figures, in order to be compatible with the popular standard toy-sized character Star Wars had created. Again, a Monsterizer lav table playset was created, and a haunted house carrying case was also produced. Elvira was now the horror host taking over from Larry Vincent's Fright Night and McCann's Movie Macabre, ensuring everyone would have unpleasant dreams. Meanwhile, horror was taking a different turn in the theaters, with slasher movies and lots of gory gruesome scenes, which made it less suitable to create toys based on these maniac killers that were taking over the horror genre. Not many classic monsters made it on the shelves during this decade. And although we didn't see classic monsters in any of the popular toy lines of the early 80s, their occult features would often be part of the villains and heroes of toy lines, like Masters of the Universe, Thundercats, and G.I. Joe. In 1986, Imperial paid homage to the classic monsters and released their own Universal Monsters, in their very own rubbery Imperial style. And there were other attempts for fun, kid-friendly horror-type toys, with Boglins, Gremlins toys based on a horror-comedy film, who luckily had gizmo that looked a bit kid-friendly. The Gremlins, on the other hand, got some complaints from parents. Even Play-Doh took a chance on the classic monsters then, with their Count Creepyhead and Friends Playset. Just pop on one of the masks to create a face for the figure, and when you're done, keep pushing for his brains to pop out. New from Kenner. Then the gross-out generation took over, with Garbage Pail Kids, Madballs, and many more toys. In 1989, the seed was planted for a new monster craze, as the Ghostbusters counter line featured six classic creatures for the proton pack heroes to fight. 1990 also came with a new horror host, the Crypt Keeper, telling the tales of the EC Comics by the same name, but also the Vault of Horror and the Haunt of Fear that inspired so many horror movie directors to start making scary movies. It was another renaissance for the comics once banned by the Comics Code of America. By the early 90s, the slasher movie genre had become stale, and just like every day in the 90s, we would revisit the classic monsters once again, in reboots, remakes, and reimaginings, like Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Playmates had created a toy line called Monster Force. As early as 1994, it had a cartoon produced by Universal Animation Studios featuring all the creatures of the night, but it only lasted one season. Monster Force, striking at the heart of evil. Most of them came with a nice variety of weapons, we all know Playmates is able to deliver, and even a stand for each monster creating the feel of the Aurora models once again. It seems like monster toys need to come with a piece of scenery. And it's no wonder they went to Playmates, who also created two waves of Universal Monster Turtles in 1993 and '94. In each one of these, a turtle would take on the role of a classic monster, and these are some of my most favorite toys ever made. Featuring even the Invisible Man and the Methiluna Mutant, most of them even had the mandatory glow-in-the-dark feature. And you could feel something was on the rise, because even the popularity got the Sungold, who bootlegged some marks, sculpts, and true and intoxic Crusader body in their monster lines, simply called Monster. It would also feature horror classic newcomer, Freddy Krueger, next to the Wolfman and Mummy, creating their own knockoff Universal Monster toys. And then we come to the year 1997, which was the year the monsters were unleashed to every home. They didn't even have to ask to come in, thanks to the postal office where they were honored in stamp form. Featuring original monster actors paying a mosh so they would never be forgotten. And also feeding the monster renaissance, were the VHS releases of the classic movies that ignited the beasts back into stardom. Monsters were back in business, and you could see them everywhere from pox to even little presents you would get in your Burger King kid's meal. You could get four three and a half inch toys, all featuring their own little action, like the scaly squirter creature from the Black Lagoon, or the coffin poppin' Count Dracula. Was that ketchup or blood on my burger? In a time when kid's meal toys were far from being good quality, these monster toys stood out as an actual quality toy. And as the movies recycled the ideas of what had come and gone before, toy companies would do the same. The Hasbro Universal monsters were created with a Mego vibe to them, and some were even internet order exclusives. Sideshow toys create multiple series based on horror celebrities, each having their own detailed stand and accessories. Reminding you once again of the Aurora models, they created an 8 inch and 12 inch doll line, which is considered to be one of the best made based on the original actors. After all, the monster generation had grown up, and all they wanted now is really collectible and highly detailed toys. Like the Dom Post calendar masquerie issues. McFarlane monsters saw McFarlane experimenting with the classic monsters. After the success of Spawn, he chose not to go for licensed, but to create his own interpretation of these classic monsters. Receiving the exaggerated style that McFarlane is known for, our heroes like the Phantom, Sea Creature, and the Mummy to name a few received a reimagining, with demonic facial expressions. McFarlane didn't just stick to the monsters, but would also feature movie maniacs from the slashers that were so popular a decade earlier. And Nekatoys would do the same. These days the monsters are as well known as Mickey Mouse. And even though we're currently not in a monster craze, you can be sure someone will be shouting, "It's alive!" And it won't be long till the monsters will rise again. To a new world of gods and monsters. Now if the Universal Pictures could just get their dark universe off the ground, we might just head into a new wave of popularity for the monsters 18th century writers created in the Gothic horror era. I hope you're all enjoying the Halloween season. Be sure to subscribe to the channel for more retro toy content. And please leave down in the comments below who your favorite famous monster is, and which toy representation you think is the best one. Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook, and if you want to support the channel you can always leave a like on the video, or check out my Patreon page. Thanks so much for watching, I hope to see you in the next video, and for now I bid you farewell, children of the night.